Power nozzle and rug scrubber



Aug. 17, 1965 D. F. DOWNEY POWER NOZZLE AND RUG SCRUBBER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 26, 1963 INVENTOR. Dav/0 E Dow/vs) HIS ATTORNEY Aug. 17, 1965 D. F. DOWNEY POWER NOZZLE AND RUG SCRUBBER Filed June 26, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1 '1'! a 1mm HIS ATTORNEY United States Patent F 3,200,433 PUWER NOZZLE AND RUG SCRUBBER David F. Downey, Stamford, Conn., assignor t0 Electrolux Corporation, ()ld Greenwich, Comm, a corporation of Delaware Filed June 26, 1963, Ser. No. 290,833 8 Claims. (Cl. 15-328) My invention relates to a surface treating device which may be used either as a suction nozzle for a vacuum cleaner or as a rug washer and scrubber.

This device includes a hollow body having an elongated slot in the bottom surface thereof which is presented to the surface being treated. A rotary brush is mounted within the body in such a position that the bristles thereof project a short distance through the slot as the brush is rotated. An electric motor serves to drive the brush. Connected to the hollow body so as to communicate with the slot is a tubular handle which, when the device is to be used as a suction nozzle, is connected by means of the usual flexible suction hose to a vacuum cleaner. When used in this manner for cleaning a rug, the rotating brush agitates the rug so as to dislodge dirt therefrom which is picked up by the air stream drawn in through the slot and conveyed through the hollow handle and hose to the vacuum cleaner.

The device also includes a liquid distributing manifold arranged above the rotary brush which may be connected by means of a suitable tube to a reservoir which is adapted to be removably mounted on the above mentioned handle. A manually operable valve is provided which, when opened, permits liquid rug shampoo contained in the reservoir to flow through the tube and to be distributed by the manifold along the length of the rotating brush. The brush agitates the shampoo so as to produce foam which the brush works into the carpet for cleaning the latter.

Thus, in accordance with my invention a single device is capable of performing two entirely different operations, namely that of removing dirt from a rug by agitation and airflow and that of scrubbing a rug with a liquid detergent.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification and of which;

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device in accordance with my invention when used as a rug washer;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the nozzle portion of the device shown in FIG. 1 with a hood member removed;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 3--3 of FIG. 2 and showing the device connected to a vacuum cleaner hose to be used as a suction nozzle;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken through the reservoir portion of the device shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a top view of an element shown in FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 8-8 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 9--9 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 10 is a top view of the reservoir shown in FIGS. 1 and 5.

' Referring to the drawings, reference character 10 designates generally a nozzle member to which is permanently and pivotally connected a hollow handle or wand 12. Member 10 includes a hollow body 14 having a bottom surface 16 which is formed near its forward edge with an elongated suction opening 18. As is shown more particularly in FIG. 3, the handle 12 is pivotally mounted at 3,Z@,433 Patented Aug. 17, 1965 ice 20 in the hollow body 14 so as to communicate with the interior thereof and hence with the opening 18.

Rotatably mounted within the body 14 by means of bearings 19 is a brush 22 the bristles 24 of which extend outwardly through the opening 18. As is shown in FIG. 2, the brush 22 is provided with a shaft 26 which extends through one of the bearings 19 and on the outer end of which is mounted a pulley 28 driven through a flexible belt 30 by an electric motor 32. Current for operating the motor is supplied through a conductor 34 which extends from the nozzle body and up through a channel 36 formed on the exterior of the hollow handle 12.

A liquid distributing manifold 38 is disposed along the hollow body 14 above the brush 22 and is provided with a plurality of openings 40 terminating just above the brush. A tube 42 is connected to the manifold 38 and terminates in a coupling 44 at the rear of the nozzle member 10. A decorative and protective hood 46 (which is shown removed in FIG. 2), may be secured over the hollow body 14, so as to enclose the motor and belt drive, the coupling 44 being outside of the hood.

The upper end of handle 12 is provided with a suitable spring locking member 48 which may be of the type shown in Patent No. 2,925,289 issued February 16, 1960.

If it is desired to use the above described device as a suction nozzle, the usual flexible suction hose 49 of a vacuum cleaner is inserted in the upper end of the hollow handle 12, the spring lock 48 serving to removably connect the hose to the handle, as is shown in FIG. 3. When the vacuum cleaner is operated so as to produce suction within the hose, this is communicated through the handle 12 to the interior of the hollow body 14, thus causing air to be drawn in through the suction opening 18. Operation of the motor 32 by current supplied through the conduit 34 causes the brush 22 to rotate and the bristles agitate the rug so as to dislodge dirt therefrom, which is picked up by the air stream entering through the opening 18.

If it is desired to use the device as a rug washer, the vacuum cleaner suction hose is disconnected from the handle 12 and the reservoir designated generally by reference character 50 is secured in place, as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 5. The reservoir includes a hollow tank 52 which is closed at its upper end by a top 54 to which is secured one end of a curved handle member 56, the other end of which may be inserted within the hollow handle 12 and retained in place by the spring lock 48, thus serving to secure the upper end of the reservoir 50 to the handle.

The lower end of the tank 52 has a bottom 58 to which is secured a tray-like member 60 having a clamp 62 adapted to embrace the handle 12 and to be clamped thereto by means of a thumbscrew 64. As shown, the handle is formed with exterior reinforcing ribs 66 while the clamp 62 is formed with corresponding grooves, thus preventing turning of the clamp around the handle and assuring a firm connection between the lower end of the reservoir and the handle.

The bottom 58 of the tank 52 is formed with an outlet connection 68 which extends through an opening in the tray 60 and is connected to a flexible tube 70, the opposite end of which carries a coupling member 72 which may be removably coupled to the coupling 44 on the nozzle 10. A valve 74 mounted on a valve stem 76 controls flow through the outlet connection 68. The stem 76 extends through an opening in the cover 54 and is connected to its upper end to an operating trigger 78 which is pivoted on the curved handle 56. A spring 80 disposed around the stem 76 between the top 54 and a shoulder formed on the stem urges the latter downwardly so as to maintain the valve 74 in closed position. A

a filler opening in the cover 54 is normally closed by a suitable cap 82.

With the parts in the position shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, assuming a suitable liquid shampoo to be contained within the reservoir 50, the operator grasps the handle 56 for the purpose of moving the device back and forth over a rug to be shampooed. The operators index finger may conveniently lift the trigger 78 so as to open the valve 74 to permit liquid to fiow by gravity through the tubes 70 and 42 to the manifold 38 from where it is distributed through the openings 40 on to the top of the rotating brush 22. The brush whips air into the liquid shampoo, thus causing the generation of foam which is carried around by the brush and is worked into the rug being cleaned. By applying the liquid to the brush, the former is prevented from reaching the rug in liquid form, but only as foam. Even though the rotary brush might tend to throw some of the shampoo up the hollow handle 12, the upper end of the latter is completely closed by a portion of the handle 56 received therein, thus preventing the emission of shampoo from the handle.

Thus it will be seen that the member is capable of serving as a suction nozzle when connected to a vacuum cleaner, and as a rug washer and scrubber when the reservoir 50 is associated therewith.

While I have shown and described one more or less specific embodiment of my invention, it is to be understood that this has been done for the purpose of illustration only and that the scope of my invention is not to be limited thereby, but is to be determined from the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a nozzle body having a suction inlet opening formed in the bottom thereof within which an elongated cylindrical brush, which includes bristles extending outwardly through the suction inlet opening for contacting a surface to be cleaned, is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis by a motor mounted on the nozzle body, and a hollow wand having an open top end and a bottom end which is coupled to the nozzle body and communicates with the suction inlet opening, said wand serving as a handle as well as a conduit for conveying dirt-ladened air to a vacuum cleaner tank unit through a suction hose when the suction hose is coupled between the wands top end and the tank unit so that the surface may be cleaned by the simultaneous elfects of brush agitation and applied suction, the improvement wherein said nozzle body including its motor-rotated brush and wand may be used for shampooing a rug by brushing a liquid detergent onto the rugs surface when the hollow wand is uncoupled from the suction hose, said improvement comprising: a container for the liquid detergent, a curved handle and supporting member extending upwardly from said container and then downwardly so as to be insertable into the open end of the wand for removably securing the container thereto, means for conveying liquid from said container to said brush, a valve for controlling flow of said liquid to said brush, and a trigger for manipulating said valve pivotally mounted on the concave side of said curved handle.

2. In a nozzle body having a suction inlet opening formed in the bottom thereof within which an elongated cylindrical brush, which includes bristles extending outwardly through the suction inlet opening for contacting a surface to be cleaned, is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis by a motor mounted on the nozzle body, and a hollow Wand having an open top end and a bottom end which is coupled to the nozzle body and communicates with the suction inlet opening, said wand serving as a handle as well as a conduit for conveying dirtladened air to a vacuum cleaner tank unit through a suction hose when the suction hose is coupled between the wands top end and the tank unit so that the surface may be cleaned by the simultaneous effects of brush agitation and applied suction, the improvement wherein said nozzle body including its motor-rotated brush and wand may be used for shampooing a rug by brushing a liquid detergent onto the rugs surface when the hollow wand is uncoupled from the suction hose, said improvement comprising: a container for the liquid detergent, a curved handle and supporting member extending upwardly from one side of said container and then across the top thereof and downwardly so as to be insertable into the open end of the wand for removably securing the container thereto, conduit means connected to the lower end of said container for conveying liquid to said brush, a valve in said container for controlling flow from said container into said conduit means, a valve stem secured to said valve and extending through the top of the container, and a trigger for manipulating said valve pivotally mounted on the concave side of said curved handle and connected to said valve stem.

3. In a combined suction nozzle and rug washer, a nozzle body having a bottom part formed with a suction inlet opening adapted to be passed over a surface to be cleaned, an elongated cylindrical brush rotatably mounted about a horizontal axis in said nozzle and having bristles extending outwardly through said opening for contacting said surface, an electric motor in said body for driving said brush, a tubular wand connected at one end to said body and communicating with said inlet opening, the other end of said wand being open and connectable to a suction conduit, a container for liquid rug shampoo including a member attached to the top of the container, said member having a portion insertable into the open end of said wand for removably securing said container to the wand and closing said open end so that the shampoo cannot escape from said end of the wand, said member also serving as a hand grip to move said nozzle body over the surface to be cleaned by the application of force thereto, a manifold in said nozzle body disposed above and parallel to said brush, means for conveying liquid from said container to said manifold, and liquid discharge means disposed along said manifold for distributing liquid along the length of said brush.

4. In a nozzle body having a suction inlet opening formed in the bottom thereof within which an elongated cylindrical brush, which includes bristles extending outwardly through the suction inlet opening for contacting a surface to be cleaned, is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis by a motor mounted on the nozzle body, and a hollow wand having an open top end and a bottom end which is coupled to the nozzle body and communicates with the suction inlet opening, said wand serving as a conduit for conveying dirt-laden air to a vacuum cleaner tank unit through a suction hose when the suction hose is coupled between the wands top end and the tank unit so that the surface may be cleaned by the simultaneous elfects of brush agitation and applied suction, the improvement wherein said nozzle body including its motor-rotated brush and wand may be used for shampooing a rug by brushing a liquid detergent onto the rugs surface when the suction hose is uncoupled from the top end of the wand, said improvement comprising: a container for the liquid detergent including a member fixed thereto for removably supporting the container on the wand, said member including a portion also serving as a handle to apply force to said wand to move the nozzle body across the rug surface, and means for conveying liquid detergent from the container to the brush.

5. In a nozzle body having a suction inlet opening formed in the bottom thereof within which an elongated cylindrical brush, which includes bristles extending outwardly through the suction inlet opening for contacting a surface to be cleaned, is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis by a motor mounted on the nozzle body, and a hollow wand having an open top end and a bottom end which is coupled to the nozzle body and communicates with the suction inlet opening, said wand serving as a cona) duit for conveying dirt-laden air to a vacuum cleaner tank unit through a suction hose when the suction hose is coupled between the wands top end and the tank unit so that the surface may be cleaned by the simultaneous effects of brush agitation and applied suction, the improvement wherein said nozzle body including its motor-rotated brush and wand may be used for shampooing a rug by brushing a liquid detergent onto the rugs surface when the suction hose is uncoupled from the top end of the wand, said improvement comprising: an open top container for the liquid detergent, and means for conveying liquid detergent from the container to the brush, said container including a top closure member, said top closure member having a portion which is insertable into the open top end of the hollow wand to removably secure the container to the wand.

6. In a nozzle body having a suction inlet opening formed in the bottom thereof within which an elongated cylindrical brush, which includes bristles extending outwardly through the suction inlet opening for contacting a surface to be cleaned, is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis by a motor mounted on the nozzle body, and a hollow wand having an open top end and a bottom end which is coupled to the nozzle body and communicates with the suction inlet opening, said wand serving as a conduit for conveying dirt-laden air to a Vacuum cleaner tank unit through a suction hos-e when the suction hose is coupled between the wands top end and the tank unit so that the surface may be cleaned by the simultaneous effects of brush agitation and applied suction, the improvement wherein said nozzle body including its motor-rotated brush and wand may be used for shampooing a rug by brushing a liquid detergent onto the rugs surface when the suction hose is uncoupled from the top end of the hollow wand, said improvement comprising: a container for the liquid detergent, and means for conveying the liquid detergent from the container to the rotary brush; said container having a curved handle extending upwardly from the top of the container and then downwardly so as to be insertable into the open top end of the hollow wand to detachably secure the container to the hollow wand and to close the top end of the wand to prevent emission of the detergent through the top end of the wand, the nozzle body being movable across the surface of the rug by the application of manual force on said curved handle.

'7. In a nozzle body having a suction inlet opening formed in the bottom thereof within which an elongated cylindrical brush, which includes bristles extending outwardly through the suction inlet opening for contacting a surface to be cleaned, is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis by a motor mounted on the nozzle body, and a hollow wand having an open top end and a bottom end which is coupled to the nozzle body and communicates with the suction inlet opening, said wand serving as a conduit for conveying dirt-ladened air to a vacuum cleaner unit through a suction hose when the suction hose is coupled between the wands top end and the tank unit so that the surface may be cleaned by the simultaneous effects of brush agitation and applied suction, the improvement wherein said nozzle body including its motor-rotated brush and wand may be used for shampooing a rug by brushing a liquid detergent onto the rugs surface when the suction hose is uncoupled from the top end of the hollow wand, said improvement comprising: a releasable coupling at the top end of the wand for connection with the suction hose when said surface is tobe cleaned by simultaneous brush agitation and suction, a container for the liquid detergent, and means for conveying the liquid detergent to the rotary brush; said container having a supporting member fixed thereto and engageable with said coupling for removably securing the container to the wand, said supporting member including a portion extendin laterally outwardly from said wand and serving as a handle by which the nozzle body is moved across the surface of the rug.

8. in a nozzle body having a suction inlet opening formed in the bottom thereof within which an elongated cylindrical brush, which includes bristles extending outwardly through the suction inlet opening for contacting a surface to be cleaned, is mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis by a motor mounted on the nozzle body, and a hollow wand having an open top end and a bottom end which is coupled to the nozzle body and communicates with the suction inlet opening, said wand serving as a conduit for conveying dirt-ladened air to a vacuum cleaner tank unit through a suction hose when the suction hose is coupled between the wands top end and the tank unit so that the surface may be cleaned by the simultaneous eifects of brush agitation and applied suction, the improvement wherein said nozzle body including its motor-rotated brush and wand may be used for shampooing a rug by brushing a liquid detergent onto the rugs surface when the suction hose is uncoupled from the top end of the hollow wand, said improvement comprising: a container for the liquid detergent, means for conveying the detergent to the rotary brush, and clamping means carried by a lower portion of the container and removably embracing an adjacent portion of the wand; said container having a supporting member fixed to the upper end thereof and having a portion thereof insertable into the open top end of the hollow wand for removably securing said container to said wand and for closing said top end to prevent emission of the detergent through said top end.

References (Iited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,644,189 10/27 Hendricks 15-50 2,292,435 8/42 Crites l5--321 2,293,722 8/42 Erickson 15320 2,333,829 11/43 Terry 15320 2,348,861 5/44 Smellie 15377 2,495,686 1/50 Berberian 15321 2,509,074 5/50 Reiley 135-47 X 3,099,028 7/63 Ardito 15546 X WALTER A. SCHEEL, Primary Examiner. 

4. IN A NOZZLE BODY HAVING A SUCTION INLET OPENING FORMED IN THE BOTTOM THEREOF WITHIN WHICH AN ELONGATED CYLINDRICAL BRUSH, WHICH INCLUDES BRISTLES EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THROUGH THE SUCTION INLET OPENING FOR CONTACTING A SURFACE TO BE CLEANED, IS MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A HORIZONTAL AXIS BY A MOTOR MOUNTED ON THE NOZZLE BODY, AND A HOLLOW WAND HAVING AN OPEN TOP END AND A BOTTOM END WHICH IS COUPLED TO THE NOZZLE BODY AND COMMUNICATES WITH THE SUCTION INLET OPENING, SAID WAND SERVING AS A CONDUIT FOR CONVEYING DIRT-LADEN AIR TO A VACUUM CLEANER TANK UNIT THROUGH A SUCTION HOSE WHEN THE SUCTION HOSE IS COUPLED BETWEEN THE WAND''S TOP END AND THE TANK UNIT SO THAT THE SURFACE MAY BE CLEANED BY THE SIMULTANEOUS EFFECTS OF BRUSH AGITATION AND APPLED SUCTION, THE IMPROVEMENT WHEREIN SAID NOZZLE BODY INCLUDING ITS MOTOR-ROTATED BRUSH AND WAND MAY BE USED FOR SHAMPOOING A RUG BY BRUSHING A LIQUID DETERGENT ONTO THE RUG 